


Testing the Waters

by FleetofShippyShips



Series: Harry Potter and the Maudlin Merman [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Creature Biology, Creature Fic, Don't copy to another site, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Merman Draco, Merpeople, Open Ending, Post-Hogwarts, Professor Harry Potter, Setting Boundaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-04 20:39:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18820294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetofShippyShips/pseuds/FleetofShippyShips
Summary: Being honest was probably best. He’d never been any good at talking his way around the truth. Or leading into it with any sort of sensitivity. And he’d never fool Draco if he tried anyway.“For what it’s worth, I want to kiss you again,” he said, eyes on the sky while his face started burning.“You want to do a lot more than that, I know,” Draco sighed. “You’re not exactly subtle. I thought you’d be over it by now. That the...the novelty would have worn off.”Harry screwed up his face. “Novelty? That’s...no.”





	1. Testing the Waters

Harry tried not to look nervous as he walked down the length of the jetty. He tried to put out an air of ‘everything’s normal’ as he took off his shoes and socks, rolled up the legs of his trousers, and sat on the edge of the jetty. The water was getting cooler, he wouldn’t be able to dangle his legs over the edge for much longer.

Out there, somewhere, Draco was surely watching him. Maybe he was under the jetty, looking up at his feet and considering giving him a heart attack by grabbing them without warning. He’d done that once.

More likely, he wasn’t going to show himself.

Harry kept telling himself it wasn’t his fault. Draco had kissed _him_. Not the other way around. He hadn’t even given Harry a chance to kiss back before splashing water in his face and swimming off.

Harry didn’t blame him. What good really came of it? Draco was still trapped in the lake, Harry was still free on land. Nothing had changed, except that Harry’s heart was racing just being there. He could feel a ghost of a tingle across his lips.

It was only the next day, and he hadn’t slept. He probably shouldn’t have come down to the jetty. He probably should have given Draco space, time to recover from his own bold move that he probably regretted, but he couldn't bear the thought that his absence might be interpreted as some kind of rejection, even though Draco hadn’t offered anything.

Just a peck of a kiss.

Might as well have been the whole world as far as Harry was concerned. Just the lightest brush of lips and his whole world had snapped into focus. He wasn’t completely dense, he knew what he’d been wanting. Draco’s new state couldn’t account for every thought and urge he’d had since meeting him at the jetty.

But that kiss promptly silenced anything he was telling himself to the contrary of what he really wanted.

But Draco was trapped in the lake. He wasn’t even fully human anymore.

What the hell was he doing cultivating an attachment to someone so unattainable?

“If you think any harder you’ll break something in that tiny brain of yours.”

Harry startled and kicked water everywhere. Draco was looking over the side of the jetty, one hand on the edge, his body turned out like he might swim off again at any moment.

He would, Harry knew. Draco spent more time swimming away from him than anything else. Except splashing him maybe.

“It’s been one of those days,” Harry replied, trying to read his expression.

It was impossible. Draco was like stone when he wanted to be. Immovable, unreadable.

“I know the feeling,” Draco murmured, looking out at the rest of the lake.

Harry’s stomach did a painful flipping thing. “Don’t go,” he said quickly.

Draco’s shoulders slumped. “It might be better if I did. If I found some other corner of the lake to spend my time in.”

Absent of acrobatic movements, Harry’s stomach just plain hurt. “I’d miss you.”

“You’d finally get real peace and quiet,” Draco said, turning to the jetty and resting both arms on it. He closed his eyes and laid his head on them. “That’s why you first came down here. I remember.”

Harry looked away, out over the lake. The idea of being there alone wasn’t so comforting anymore.

“Peace is overrated,” he said, laying back, legs still hanging over the edge, feet still in the water. “Boring even.”

“Don’t let your adoring fans hear you say that.”

Harry stared up at the sky. It was still light. He didn’t usually come down quite this early, but classes were over and he was too distracted to do anything productive in his office. He really hadn’t expected Draco to show himself. He wasn’t ready for this at all.

Being honest was probably best. He’d never been any good at talking his way around the truth. Or leading into it with any sort of sensitivity. And he’d never fool Draco if he tried anyway.

“For what it’s worth, I want to kiss you again,” he said, eyes on the sky while his face started burning.

“You want to do a lot more than that, I know,” Draco sighed. “You’re not exactly subtle. I thought you’d be over it by now. That the...the _novelty_ would have worn off.”

Harry screwed up his face. “Novelty? That’s...no.”

“Close your eyes,” Draco said.

Harry turned his head to the side to look at him. Draco was still resting his head on his arms, but he was looking at him with the same kind of intensity that made Harry lose his head a little.

“Why?” he asked, his pulse quickening.

“You won’t find out unless you do it,” Draco said, his lips curving into a shaky grin.

That visible sign of nerves, more than anything, made Harry comply. After a few moments there was splashing. Water droplets landed on Harry but he stayed still and kept his eyes closed. There was a wet slap on wood, and then silence.

“Keep your eyes closed or I’ll drown you,” Draco muttered, his voice close to Harry’s ear.

“I saw you under the water last night you know,” Harry said stupidly.

“Just shut up,” Draco snapped.

“Make me,” Harry muttered, more from habit than anything. When Draco got that tone he couldn’t help but bristle in response.

Draco made an irritated sound, then grabbed his face. Harry flinched at first, not expecting it, but then relaxed against his wet fingers. Draco turned his head a little and then Harry could feel his breath on his face.

He forgot to breathe himself as Draco kissed him. It was just as hesitant and brief as the night before, only Draco hovered there after, so close their noses bumped. Harry kept his eyes closed and hoped for the best as he lifted his head.

Draco surprised him. Rather than a face full of water, Draco kissed him again. More than a peck, he lingered. Still shockingly gentle. Still hesitant, like he might pull back at any moment. Harry reached up blindly, cupping the back of Draco’s head and pulling him down. Draco opened to him like it had been just what he was waiting for.

He pressed Harry’s head back down against the planks of the jetty. The side of Harry’s body was getting wet from where Draco pressed up against him, but Harry was getting too lost in the heat of his mouth to really notice. Draco was hot. It wasn’t like he’d expected to find him cold, but he found himself surprised anyway. Draco’s hair was cold where it was twined around Harry’s fingers, but his mouth was a furnace Harry was happy to get lost in.

“Novelty worn off yet?” Draco asked, breathing heavily when they parted.

“You’re not letting me look,” Harry breathed, pulling him back down.

Draco made an unimpressed sound that was lost between their mouths, but he didn’t pull away. His body pressed up against Harry’s side more firmly and Harry almost reached for him before he thought about it. He wouldn’t find hips, he’d find scales. Draco couldn't get a leg on either side of him to press close.

Harry shivered and brought his other hand to Draco’s hair to so it wouldn’t wander. The last thing he wanted was Draco disappearing into the depths of the lake.

Draco shifted again, making an aggravated sound as he pulled back and rested his forehead against Harry’s.

“Why are we bothering with something so...so...”

Even at the risk of Draco bolting, Harry opened his eyes. All he saw was Draco’s expression, almost too close to focus on. It was a vulnerable thing he knew Draco would never willingly let him see. He was trusting Harry to keep his eyes closed and guilt quickly settled heavy in his belly beside the heat from their kisses.

But now that he’d looked, he couldn’t stop. Without moving his head, he looked down as best he could. He could see where Draco’s body was pressed against his side. He could even see the faintly iridescent skin bleed into scales at his hips. He couldn’t see the end of his tail, but could imagine it laying limp on the jetty.

He shifted his gaze back and let his fingers drift down from Draco’s hair. Over the warm skin of his neck until they brushed over a smooth, different texture.

With a low, almost animal sound in his throat, Draco pulled away, rolling in a fluid movement until he fell off the edge of the jetty and into the water.

Harry scrambled to the edge and uttered a low curse. Searching the water was futile. If Draco had it in his mind to flee, he’d already be beyond Harry’s reach.

With another curse, Harry flopped onto his stomach, dangling on arm over the edge to touch the water.

A moment later Draco surfaced again in front of him.

Harry stared at him, holding his breath.

“I told you not to look,” Draco finally said. He flicked water at him, but it was nothing like his usual splashes.

“That’s not what freaked you out,” Harry said, taking off his splashed glasses and tossing them behind him. They broke again and he winced. Thank Merlin for repairing charms. “It was when I touched near your gills.”

Draco’s skin flushed a pale pink as he raised a hand out of the water to cup the side of his neck. He still looked startled, wide-eyed.

“Did I hurt you?” Harry asked.

“No, I would have smacked you if you had,” Draco said, shaking his head and letting his hand fall into the water again. He quickly followed it until the water touched his chin and his gills were barely visible through the water.

Harry tracked the growing pink across his face. “So they’re sensitive then?” he asked cautiously.

Draco’s face only reddened further. “They’re how I breathe underwater, you twat! Of course they’re sensitive!”

“Come back up here,” Harry said. “Talking like this is awkward.” That and the edge of the jetty was starting to hurt where it dug into his chest.

“You come down here,” Draco scoffed.

Before he could think better of it, Harry pushed himself up, swung his legs around, and then slid off the edge of the jetty.

Just like last time, before he even had a chance to surface by himself, Draco pulled him up and pushed him up against the jetty.

“Are you serious?” he hissed.

Harry grabbed the edge of the jetty with one hand and shrugged as best he could. “You said to.”

Draco splashed water in his face and growled. “You’re going to get yourself drowned. Can you even swim?”

“Not really, but you’re here to save me, so I’ll be fine.”

Draco scowled. “Presumptuous.”

Harry ignored him. “So, your gills,” he said, looking at them now that Draco had surfaced past his shoulders again. “Touching them isn’t okay then?”

Harry’s abrupt entry in the lake had robbed Draco’s cheeks of pink, but it slowly came back as Draco stared at him. The pink moved down his neck until the patches of blue scales around the edges of his gills started to look a little purple.

His lack of answer said a lot.

“Come closer,” Harry said carefully, holding a hand out. “We can test it out and then you can know for sure.”

“Presumptuous,” Draco muttered again. But after a moment he did move closer, until he was pressed against Harry, pinning him to the side of the jetty, putting his hands on the edge to support himself. “I should drown you for this.”

Harry held back a laugh. “First you want to drown me, then you panic when I get in the water, then you want to drown me again. Make up your mind.”

Draco snorted but didn’t say anything. Instead he looked to the side, out towards the greater part of the lake. Harry took the opportunity to look at his gills up close again. Maybe touching them wasn’t a good idea. If they were damaged he wouldn’t be able to breathe underwater. Touching them at all had been so damn reckless.

“Well go on then,” Draco huffed. “The novelty won’t wear off on its own.”

Harry checked his expression, but it was like stone. “You seriously believe that’s what...no, never mind. Of course you do. Hold still.”

He pushed his concerns aside. Draco knew his own body better. If touching his gills really was dangerous, he never would have allowed it to happen. He would have swam away not moved closer. Harry wouldn’t be feeling the length of him down his front, or his tail bumping his feet every now and then as it moved.

Harry lifted his free hand from the water and brushed the outer patches of scales around Draco’s gills, where they blended away into skin.

Draco immediately flinched away, making a weak sound in his throat, one hand flying to cover his gills. His eyes were wide and directed down at the water instead of at Harry.

“You okay?” Harry asked, trying to slow the racing pace of his heart. That wasn’t a pain response, now that he got to see it. Draco face was flushed and his breathing rapid.

“It doesn’t feel like that when I touch them,” Draco muttered.

“Can I...?”

Harry reached out and slid his hand over Draco’s wrist. Draco met his gaze for a tense moment before allowing his hand to be tugged away.

When Harry brushed his thumb over the area skin became scales again, Draco’s eyes slid closed at the same time he made a loud, breathy exhale. Heat pulsed through Harry’s groin and he bit his lip and kept gently brushing that spot with his thumb.

“Is it just here at the edge or...?”

Draco shook his head as he gently brushed a fingertip along the line of a flattened gill slit.

“Edges,” he breathed, tilting his head to the side.

Harry held his breath for moment, almost expecting them to open from the stretch. But they stayed flattened. Slowly, he returned to brushing his fingertips around the edges, where patches of iridescent blue scales bled into iridescent skin. The scales were smooth, smoother than skin and he pressed harder to feel the edges of them.

Draco released a guttural sound, tilting his head even further away. Harry exhaled slowly and leaned forward until he could brush his lips along the edge of scales and skin.

“Do you think this is just a gill thing or you’re this sensitive down where the rest of your scales start too?” he asked as he brushed kisses along the edges.

This close, he could see there were no scales covering the gill flaps at all, but the skin there was the same iridescent blue as the scales bordering the overall area of his gills, and it had felt different, almost leathery. It piqued his curiosity but he filed it away to think about later.

It was already a miracle that Draco was letting him do this, if he started asking questions he’d get splashed and swiftly abandoned.

“You go anywhere near my lower body and I’ll fucking drown you,” Draco hissed softly.

Harry almost smiled at the empty threat. If Draco really wanted that to carry weight he shouldn’t freak out about Harry getting in the water.

“Might want to stop pressing against me then,” Harry breathed, kissed up his neck and along his jaw.

Draco turned into the kiss before Harry could get there. It was chaotic, biting, forceful. Harry found himself pressed even harder against the jetty, until the wood dug in enough to hurt and the there was an ominous creaking sound from the thin cross beams connecting the supports.

“You started this,” Draco said, as he broke away and moved back so suddenly Harry felt dizzy.

Harry took a moment to catch his breath as he took in how dishevelled and flushed Draco looked.

“Actually, you did,” he pointed out.

Predictably, Draco splashed him. As he wiped water out of his eyes, Harry expected to find him gone a moment later, but was surprised yet again to find him still there.

“How’s that novelty?” Draco asked, smoothing his hair back.

“Stop saying that,” Harry huffed, splashing him back for once. “I’m not here for your tail. I never even saw your tail until last night and I’ve been down here so many times I’ve lost count. Surely I’d have lost patience by now if that was what I was after.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?” Draco hissed, moving closer and looking like he actually might drag him under. “I’m trapped in this lake. I’m trapped in this body. There’s no future here. You can’t be stupid enough to want anything more than to say you’ve fucked a mer—”

“Shut up!” Harry snapped, feeling angrier than he probably should. “Just stop stalking if you’re only going to say shit like that.”

Turning, he hauled himself up onto the jetty and walked off before he said anything he might regret. Draco could know for once what it was like to be suddenly abandoned, even if Harry’s squelching loud exit wasn’t as dramatic as Draco’s almost soundless dive into the depths.

Only when he was further away did he manage to work his wand out of his sodden pocket to dry himself. It wouldn’t do for any of the students to see him walking around completely drenched from head to toe. He didn’t relish the idea of explaining that.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I totally wrote this as soon as I finished the first one XD but don't go expecting more of this any time soon (and please don't ask, nothing kills my motivation faster than being asked for more). I might dabble but really, I'll get distracted by something else pretty quickly XD
> 
> But here's more since I had it lying around and those who I shared it with (you know who you are, you fantastic people) loved it to bits and got me all excited about it XD
> 
> I'm not gonna lie, I am totally trying to get them laid, but they're idiots and they're not cooperating with me so we get this feels-infested mess instead XD


	2. Making Promises

Harry woke to the sensation of water dripping on his face. It was odd enough that he didn’t panic, only opened his eyes to squint up in confusion.

Draco was peering down at him, wet hair dripping all over his face.

“You’ve been avoiding the jetty,” he said, and Harry bristled for all of a moment before he registered that Draco looked upset about it.

He tried to sit up, but Draco planted a hand on his chest and pushed him down. It reminded Harry that he was lying on the grassy bank of the lake, away from the castle and further along the edge of the forest than Draco’s jetty, and a good several feet from the shore.

Alarmingly far from the shore.

“How are you—”

“It’s not fair,” Draco interrupted. “I can’t come after you. It took me days to realise you might be going somewhere else for your sulks, and then it took another day to find you. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to get this far out of the water because if I called out to you then you’d probably just stomp off again. That isn’t _fair_.”

Harry struggled to pick what part of that to focus on. He settled on the easy part.

“I don’t _sulk_!”

Draco didn’t even look amused. “You do. You come down to the lake to get away from your fame and have a sulk about how unhappy you are about it. It’s pathetic, but obvious. You’re sulking right now.”

“I was _sleeping_ right now,” Harry huffed, annoyed that he’d dozed off at all. He tried again to get up.

Draco struggled to keep him down and then somehow managed to get on top of him, tail slapping Harry’s legs hard enough to hurt. Harry froze, staring up at him and wondering if he was dreaming.

He had to be. Draco wouldn’t come out of the lake. He wouldn’t show his tail in front of him. He certainly wouldn’t roll right on top of him and let him feel the length of it when he couldn’t easily get away.

“I asked Hagrid to tell you I wanted to see you,” Draco continued, planting his hands on the ground just above Harry’s shoulders, looking angry now. “You can’t just ignore me. That’s not fair, I can’t do anything about it! I can’t come find you myself!”

Heat rushed to Harry’s face at the reminder. Hagrid had looked like he wasn’t sure which part to be more shocked about, that Draco was asking to see Harry, or that Harry had turned red and stammered his way through accepting the message, not sure how to handle the fact Draco had reached out so obviously.

“Maybe I didn’t want to deal with you accusing me of only being interested in your tail” he muttered.

Draco closed his eyes for a moment, appearing to hold his breath. “What else am I supposed to think?” he asked, opening his eyes again and staring down at Harry with a tense expression. “It’s not like we ever got on before. You weren’t wanting to...you didn’t want me before I had this stupid curse. Of course it’s about my tail.”

It might be insensitive, and probably a bit cruel given the way it would only trap him further, but Harry rolled them over, until Draco was on his back and Harry was kneeling over him, hands planted on either side of his head.

“Then why did you even kiss me?” he demanded. “You started this. If you were so concerned about me only wanting your tail, why even bother?”

Draco’s face flushed pink so fast it was startling. “You are such an idiot.”

Harry stared down at him. “How do I know you’re not only interested because you don’t have any other options?”

“Well, there’s Hagrid,” Draco muttered, looking unimpressed by his question.

Harry frowned. “I’m serious. Neither of us have clear motives, do we? You going to throw a hissy fit every time we get close?”

Draco reached up and pushed at him. Harry moved off him and propped himself up on his side next to him. He hadn’t really thought too hard about it, but now that he had brought it up, it bugged him. That Draco was lonely enough he probably only kissed Harry because he was there.

With Harry no longer looming over him, Draco stared up at the sky for a moment before propping himself up on his elbows. After a few long breaths, he looked down at his own body. His expression wasn’t pleasant.

“I hate this,” he muttered. “And you’re a noble idiot, so I know it pisses you off too, that someone did this to me. You don’t even have to like someone to get angry when they’re hurt. I never had to show myself to you. But I was lonely, and I figured if you were a prick about it, it wouldn’t be because you think what I am is so freakish, but just because you don’t like me and you’re a prick anyway. I figured you wouldn’t treat me too differently.”

“That makes no sense,” Harry muttered. “You’re accusing me of being out for your tail but you also think I don’t treat you differently because of it? That doesn’t make sense!”

Draco closed his eyes and swallowed. “I _know_ , idiot. I just...I _hate_ it. I don’t want...it’s not even like anything can come of this but you kept looking at me with that stupid face and I just _wanted_ you.”

Harry looked away. He wasn’t making any sense. How was he supposed to figure out what he really meant?

“You know what, just look at it,” Draco hissed, gesturing down his body. “Just look your fill and be done with it.”

Before he even thought about it, Harry stood up. The recoil in Draco’s expression made his stomach sink. But the grass beneath him only reminded Harry of just how far they were from the water, and he steeled himself.

“Let me help you back down to the lake,” he said. “I’ll look there.”

Draco stared up at him. “What?”

Harry shrugged, his face burning. “That way you can...you can get away if you need to.”

After a tense moment of eye contact, Draco flushed and looked away. “Damn you,” he muttered. “This would be easier if you were an arsehole.”

Harry drew his wand. “I’ll levitate you. Ready?”

“Stop being so... _nice_ ,” Draco said, looking disgusted.

With an angry sound, Harry gestured at his tail. “You either want me to be sensitive about this or you don’t. Make up your mind! I don’t actually want to upset you like this, as shocking as that is for us. There’s nothing amusing about what was done to you. You’re right, I hate it. I want to hunt down whoever did it and fucking _hurt_ them. But I can’t. What I can do is get you back in the water without touching you because you’ve made it pretty clear you don’t want me touching your tail. So. _Can I levitate you_?”

“Fine, levitate me!” Draco snapped.

Harry shook his head, still breathing heavily from his outburst and wanting to hit something. But he pushed it to the back of his mind and flicked his wand at Draco. He did it quickly. Less carefully than he should have, dropping Draco in the water without any warning. He half expected him to swim away but he didn’t. He righted himself and lay back, propped up on his elbows even though it must have hurt on the stony shore. Even though Harry dropping him in such shallow water must have hurt a bit, and the thought of that made Harry’s stomach sink. But Draco wasn’t the sort to let anyone hurt him without lashing out in return, so when no retaliation came, Harry forced himself to calm down as he shoved his wand back into the pocket of his robes.

The water only just covered Draco, lapping around his collar bones. It was shallow enough that Harry could see plenty, even though the ripples distorted what he saw. If Draco even still wanted Harry to look. The offer made him nervous. He couldn’t shake the feeling that for all of his accusations, Draco really thought Harry would find himself disgusted and lose interest once he really explored the tail. Once the _novelty_ wore off.

“I shouldn’t be as at ease with you as I am,” Draco murmured, so softly that maybe Harry wasn’t supposed to hear.

“This is you at ease?” Harry said without thinking, at a complete loss and trying to ignore the uncomfortable twisting sensation in his gut.

Draco looked up at him. “You know what, you get naked too then. See how it feels.”

“What?” Harry spluttered.

His shock only seemed to make Draco more sure of himself. “I’m naked right now. Only fair you should be too.”

“You have a tail!” Harry said. “I don’t have anything covering my bits!”

Draco’s face turned red and he looked away awkwardly. “At least you have bits.”

Harry’s bluster died in an instant, and he found himself looking over Draco’s tail through the water. He hadn’t really thought about that, even though he’d brought it up. He hadn’t seen anything when he’d seen him under the water. But there had to be _something._

“Stop looking!” Draco snapped.

“You told me to look!” Harry exclaimed.

“Yeah, well, I changed my mind,” Draco muttered.

Harry stared at him, Draco refused to look at him.

“Oh for the love of—”

Harry started taking off his shoes. Draco looked up but didn’t comment. The weight of his gaze only felt heavier and heavier with each article of clothing Harry pulled off. It was the wrong moment to realise he’d never been naked in front of someone he’d kissed before. His hands shook when he came to the last piece of clothing. His pants.

Draco was watching him too intently for his liking.

“You’re a pervert,” Harry muttered, his face on fire.

“I spend all day looking at seaweed and fish,” Draco replied, sounding a touch breathless. “What are you getting self-conscious about? I don’t have high standards.”

Harry closed his eyes for a moment. What the _hell_ was he doing? It was a Sunday afternoon and he was getting naked just so Draco Malfoy would feel more comfortable. Just so he wouldn’t swim away and possibly never come back at all. Merlin, the idea of never seeing him again stole Harry’s breath in the worst way.

“I’ve gone totally soft for you,” he realised suddenly.

Draco wrinkled his nose. “That’s just rude. And untrue. You were a bit hard when we were snogging against the jetty.”

It took Harry a moment to catch up while he was still skittering around his own realisation. “That’s not what I meant!” he snapped, his face on fire, not entirely sure if Draco really meant it that way or was just messing with him. The former was mortifying, the latter implied he really knew what Harry meant and he wasn’t sure he liked that. “You know what? I’m keeping these on. You have scales, I have nothing but soft skin. I’m not sitting down on a bunch of stones without at least one layer.”

Draco snorted, but enough of the tension had left him that he didn’t even flinch away when Harry sat down beside him. Harry immediately regretted picking that stretch of shore. The stony surface was not in the least bit comfortable.

They sat there for a while, staring out at the lake before Harry risked it.

“You must have bits.”

Draco stiffened beside him.

Harry turned and looked at his tail through the water. “You’re not like the other merpeople in the lake, you’re more like a merperson from muggle stories, but you still must have bits. Magic can’t change that much. They’re there somewhere.”

Something in Draco’s expression shifted, but it didn’t line up with his scoff. “Magic can do a lot more than you think. You were just raised to think it wasn’t real. Think about it, you came back from the dead.”

Harry had a moment to shy violently away from that memory before he realised Draco was deliberately trying to distract him.

“What?” he asked, peering curiously at him.

“What do you mean what?” Draco frowned. “I know that happened, my mother was there. Or at least, if not back from death, you survived a curse no one else has survived. _Twice_. If that isn’t proof that magic can—”

“Not that,” Harry interrupted, scooting closer to him on an arse that was starting to go numb from sitting on various sized stones. “You had a thought. About bits.”

Draco’s face was pink. “Can we stop talking about bits like we’re fucking thirteen?”

Harry stared at him. “Is this like the scales on your neck? Things don’t feel the same when you touch them so you haven’t found your bits yet?”

Draco shoved him so hard he fell sideways and smacked his head on the rocks.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then,” Harry muttered, touching his head gingerly. There was no blood, but his ears were ringing.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Draco said, not even looking apologetic. Instead, his whole body was tense, but nowhere more so than his arms. It looked like he was seconds away from pushing himself deeper into the water and swimming off.

“Alright,” Harry said quickly. “Sorry. Curiosity got the better of me.”

Draco searched his expression and then seemed to relax slightly. “Next time I send Hagrid after you, you come and see me, alright?” he said out of nowhere.

Harry frowned.

“I mean it. It’s not fair that you can come and go but I have only one way of letting you know I need to see you. You can’t ignore it.”

“About to make me storm off again?” Harry asked wryly.

Draco didn’t look amused. “Promise me.”

Harry frowned. “Alright, I promise.”

With a curt nod, Draco pushed himself deeper into the water. Harry’s stomach sank, but then Draco turned back to him instead of swimming away.

“Come on then,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re already in, you might as well come for a swim.”

Harry was still reeling from the sudden shift in their conversation. “I can’t swim. That really was the gillyweed that one time.”

“I won’t let you drown,” Draco scoffed.

***

The light was fading by the time Draco helped Harry back to the shore. He’d been dragged around more than he’d swam, Draco had appeared oddly reluctant to let him go. But it was more fun than he could have imagined, and he was kicking himself for not getting in the water with Draco more often.

When they reached the stony shoreline again, Draco dragged himself up until he was almost completely exposed, like the stones didn’t bother him at all. He lay back, and Harry made a gallant effort to keep his eyes up high.

He failed miserably. He couldn’t forget their earlier conversation even after the distraction of swimming. Once he started actively looking, it was easier to see. Over where Draco’s hips would be, skin started bleeding into scales, but for a stretch not too far below his navel, it was the same as his gills. What looked like scales at first was just a different kind of skin, coloured and patterned like scales, and Harry’s fingers instantly itched to touch. If there would be anything, it would be there, he was sure.

“I can’t believe you can’t swim,” Draco muttered, and Harry looked up sharply to see that he was watching him.

“Sorry,” he muttered reflexively.

Draco stared at him for a moment and sighed. “I wouldn’t have come out of the water this far if I was going to get angry at you for looking.”

With the way he kept constantly changing his mind, Harry wasn’t sure he believed that.

“I’m still here,” Harry said softly, carefully moving closer and then kneeling over him, a knee on either side, hands planted painfully on the pebbled shore.

“I noticed.”

Draco was resting on his elbows like he was comfortable, and Harry realised suddenly that he’d never had a good look at his elbows before.

“Do you have scales on your elbows?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Draco breathed, leaning up. “Wouldn’t you rather kiss me than ask a stupid question like that?”

Harry’s breath caught in his throat. “You still want me to?”

Draco nodded slowly. “Can you keep your hands above my waist?”

“I promise,” Harry breathed, leaning down to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Testing the Waters ended a little less resolved than it could have, I decided to post this as a second chapter instead of on its own. It ties things together much more nicely at the end, I think. 
> 
> There won't be any more chapters after this. This is now complete on its own. ** _If_** I write more of this series it'll be a separate oneshot again. Please don't ask me to write more in the comments.

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't checked out the gorgeous art caroll-in/herman_the_moth did inspired by this series, you should definitely do so!! You an find it [here](https://caroll-in.tumblr.com/post/185711693974/i-had-originally-planned-to-have-it-ready-for).


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